FAMILIES were out in force last Saturday, March 28 to take part in Nailsworth’s first Wild Garlic Hunt.

Owners of the tapas restaurant Wild Garlic in Cossack Square, Matthew and Hannah Beardshall, came up with the idea as an alternative to the usual egg-related events.

Matthew said: “We collect wild garlic this time every year, it’s a really versatile an ingredient that we use in a lot of dishes and it grows all over Nailsworth. We wanted a chocolate alternative for families and thought what better way to get people out and about, getting a feel for local produce than by holding a wild garlic hunt.

“The turnout was brilliant, we had around 40 people take part, all different ages and there was a real sense of excitement about who would discover the biggest patches and win the competition.

“Everyone was given one hour to find as much as possible and we weighed each bag at the end. The winning team was Team 44, who collected almost two big bags full.

“The winners have been given a tapas evening for four and a delicious bottle of chilled Cava and everyone that took part will be given a jar of pesto."

“We also had a prize for the best team name which went to The Feral Daleks.

“All of the wild garlic collected will be used in the restaurant to make dishes including our roasted fillet of sea bass with a fricassee of artichokes, wild mushrooms and wild garlic, as well as lots of wild garlic pesto and falafels.”